BlackBerry Takes QNX to Healthcare With NantHealth Investment

BlackBerry continues to refine its strategy for a turnaround with Tuesday's announcement that it has invested in healthcare IT provider NantHealth.

While financial details of the investment were not provided, BlackBerry said in a statement that the two companies intend to collaborate on the development of HIPAA and other government privacy certified, integrated clinical systems for medical care.

BlackBerry chairman and CEO John Chen said the leverage his company's QNX operating systems to power medical devices that connect to NantHealth's cloud-based solutions.

QNX has emerged as one of BlackBerry's most valuable assets as the company moves away from devices. Car manufacturers in particular have taken a liking to QNX for powering their in-dash systems.

Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, NantHealth’s founder, championed QNX as a good fit for his company's technologies.

"The potential to integrate BlackBerry's secure mobile communications, along with the company’s QNX embedded technology, will put the power of a supercomputer in the palm of the caregiver's hand," he said.

BlackBerry's Chen recently said it would take two years to turn his company around, saying he plans to move away from devices as the core of the business.